July 10, 2007

A long time food blogger, Karina of Karina's Kitchen: Recipes from a {gluten free} goddess, has been diagnosed with a multitude of food allergies in addition to having Celiac Disease. Gluten Free By The Bay is hosting a Cooking for Karina blogging event so that we can help her with recipes that will encompass not only her need for gluten free food, but also her new food allergies.

For the food event, I chose to make Olive Bread. It is a gluten, dairy and egg free bread filled with black olives, rosemary and minced garlic. I hope she enjoys it.

1. In a small bowl, pour in the dry yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water (110 degrees F). Allow the yeast to soften.

2. In another small bowl, pour in the agar agar and 1/4 cup of water. Place in the microwave and heat for approximately 30 seconds or until the agar agar becomes a gel.

3. In a large bowl, toss in all the flours, salt and rosemary and stir together.

4. Pour in the yeast and water mixture, the agar agar gel and agave syrup and stir together. Pour in the rest of the water (1/2 cup) and the olive oil and stir. Toss in the garlic and olives, then stir together.

5. Place the dough in a warm location to rise for approximately 2 hours.

Hello. I just tried this recipe and have a few questions. In the 3 hours of prepping the dough according to the recipe, it didn't rise at all. Do you think that something went wrong with the yeast? Also not sure what the consistency is supposed to be once done baking - it's a little dense and gooey still, so we put it in the oven for even longer, but still the same results.Flavor is great, but just need some advice about the consistency. Thanks!